One of the stars of tonight's X Factor has confessed he is a convicted robber.

James Nti, who hands judge Tulisa a flower before performing, was given an 18-month supervision order after he and an accomplice made a petrified teenager take them to his house so they could ransack the place.

The rapper, 21, also known as Clapz Shizzayne, does a personalised rap for Tulisa and is later filmed boasting: "I think she's attracted to me."

Tulisa gives him a "Yes" saying: "You're not Jay Z yet... but the potential is there."

But the Sunday Mirror can reveal that in 2008, when he was 17, James, from Earlsfield, South London, stole thousands of pounds of worth of goods from a house and fled. His victim's father called police and James was arrested on a bus then sentenced at Kingston Crown Court.

James embraces Tulisa - and gave her a flower (Image: ITV)

He said: "It happened a long time ago when I was young. It's something I really regret.

"I was sitting at a bus stop one day and this guy came up to me and asked if I wanted to make some money. I was at college doing music and that was what I wanted to make a career out of but, at the same time, I needed money, so I agreed.

"The guy, who was in his 30s, went up to this kid and started threatening him. I think he told him he had a some kind of weapon. He told him if he didn't take us to his house he was going to hurt him.

"The kid was terrified, so he did what the guy said and took us to his house on the bus.

"I went in with him and started taking anything worth any money. I grabbed as much as I could, the more expensive the better, and left. But, as I was walking out the door, his dad pulled into the drive and saw me."

James was convinced he would go to jail and was scared when he was sent to Crown Court.

He said: "The judge said it was a bad offence and I knew I was facing time inside. But my lawyer told them about my music and how I wanted to be a success, not a criminal. In the end he sentenced me to an 18-month supervision order.

"It was a bad time and I'm ashamed. I grew up in a bad area... it was easy to get led astray, but I'm not making excuses.